Eye looking funny after anesthesia... help!

I know I haven't posted in ages - school completely drains me - but I need advice. Baylee went to the vet today to get her teeth cleaned... she was there all day and under anesthesia. When DH went to pick her up, one of her eyes isn't open all the way and her third eyelid is 1/3rd to 1/2th of the way covering her eye. The vet came out and talked to DH, saying to keep an eye on it and if it isn't better by tomorrow, to bring her back.

Naturally I'm freaking out that the vet broke my poor Bay. Is this something that can happen? Could it fix itself? Or is it most likely something going on with her eye?

Is she blinking ok? Anaethesia can do some weird things to the felines. I would let Baylee sleep it off overnight and see if it's better in the morning.

No, she's only blinking with the "good" eye, not with the other one.

Gal,

Hi! She may be dehydrated, so pushing fluids would be a good idea. If you can get some catsip milk and water it down, or plain yogurt (add water) that will help rehydrate her.

Thanks MA... I got her a fresh bowl of water but she wouldn't touch it, sadly I don't have either catsip or yogurt nearby and the store will be closed by the time I get there. Now I'm frustrated.

Can you use an eyedropper, syringe or baster to get some water into her? If not, maybe try wetting a bit of her fur so she has to lick it off?

Pretty much the same thing happened to my Bridget when I had her spayed a few weeks ago. She had a terrible time with the anesthetic ( I believe she was actually hallucinating for awhile). When she came home one eye was huge and glassy, the other one, like your Baylee's, half shut & squinky. By the next morning, she was ok. Hopefully, by the time you get back to the board Baylee's eye will be fine.

I tried wetting her fur and getting her to lick it off - no luck. She got some moist food at night and licked a lot of the gravy tho... however this morning her eye is still not normal so I guess I need to call the vet.

Update: I gave Baylee some Catsip, she drank a bit. Her 3rd eyelid isn't covering as much of her eye, *however* now her eyelid isn't dilating properly. Which is what the vet told us, however she's acting like this is something that happened BEFORE, which it most certainly isn't. Anyway, we've been told to keep an eye on it for the next week and if it doesn't clear up, we might have to take her to an eye doctor.

What does the pupil look like? Is it big or small?

It kind of sounds like Horner's Syndrome. I have had this with two of my cats. One was caused from my little nephew wrapping a Swizzle Bird string around his neck and choking him This of course required a trip to the emergency vet. The other happened when my cat had a tooth extracted and a good ear cleaning while he was under anesthesia. Both took a few weeks to go away. I would ask my vet if it's a possibility. Here is a link with more info. http://www.peteducation.com/article....articleid=2477

Hi! I haven't posted in forever either but I have some thoughts...

Horners syndrome seems likely- It is an infammation of a nerve that causes neurological symptoms. It usually resolves on its own with time. Your kitty should be checked for an ear infection and if her eye is not blinking she should have some lubricating eye drops.

Was she on IV fluids for her dental? If yes- I wouldn't worry about her hydration. If no I would definately encourage her to take water. Don't worry too much about food right after an anaesthetic. By the day after the anaesthetic she should be eating and drinking normally. If she isn't I would call the vet and get her looked at.

Horner Syndrome is also what I was thinking. I've known of several cases. The good news is that it doesn't get worse and eventually resolves.

The pupil of her "bad" eye just looks skinnier than the other pupil... regardless of the lighting.

My DH and I definitely think it could be Horners, tho I'm glad you said yours went away.

Dr. Doolittle... her eye is blinking now and I think she was on IV fluids. She is eating and drinking now properly so that's good. As for an ear infection - they cleaned her ears while she was under anesthesia, so is it likely that she would have an ear infection?

Anyway, we have a followup visit on Tuesday so I'll make sure that Horner's Syndrome gets mentioned.

It's just upsetting, you know? I mean, it quite literally happened while under the care of the vet and it's like they can't even acknowledge it - they act as tho it's something that's been going on for a while. I get that they don't want to be liable for it, but still...

This same exact thing happened to my Jasmine. We had her teeth cleaned Thursday. When I picked her up, I really didn't notice her eye because she was in her carrier. When I looked at her in the car, her right eye wouldn't open all the way, and the third eyelid was almost completely showing. The next day, her eye got a little better throughout the day, but still not as dilated as the other eye. Took her back to the vet the next day. They acted like it was no big deal, but I'm still very concerned. Should I give it a week and see what happens before I call the vet again?

I read somewhere (sorry, I can't remember where) this can happen sto cats from having their mouth opened wide (as for dental or anaesthesia with an endothracheal tube) because that can cause pressure on the nerves to the eye. It should resolve by itself but it can take up to several weeks. I think it is big deal, even if it's a known complication. The vet trying to minimize it is just being insecure, even if technically they are right.

Yes, I would give it a week but if it gets worse before then, take her back.

Good luck with Jasmine. Please keep us updated on her progress.